Possible anterior pelvic tilt, advice for treatment/doctors/specialists

[James]

OK as some of you may know, I have been plagued with a bad injury for around a year now, at it's worst I could not squat, at it's best I can squat heavy and dead light to medium weight (but start to feel twitches), currently I am sitting somewhere in the middle - I can squat heavy (with minimal twitching), but soreness is constant so am not deadlifting at all.

I have been doing prone bridges, fire hydrants and full leg stretching to no avail, so I am asking on here what is the best route of action to take to really hammer this issue on the head. I did a month of no squating and deading a while back and my back was the best it has been, so I am thinking in the present to stop all deads and squats (using leg curls and split single leg bulgarian squats, instead), currently at maint calories for the remainder of this, and then also, next week, as a diet break; will be returning to dieting after this.

I BELIEVE the issue could be anterior pelvic tilt, but I'm not 100%, I sit for work all day although make a point of great posture, plus a good 30-60 min walk at lunch; I try to get up to fill glass/get coffee a lot also.

So apart from exercise choice, who should I seek out medically to really check this over?

Cheers dudies.

[daffy]

Sounds like you're experiencing what I have experienced in the past. Symptons wise, I had the following:

I could feel pain down the length of my spine when I did shoulder presses
I was very stiff down my back and had problems moving in the morning
I had shooting pains down the back of my left leg (sciatica)
Mobility was impaired

I suffered with this for a few years, as I thought it was just something that would sort itself out, as the symptons were not constant, some days were better than others.

I eventually went to see an osteopath. He said that my hip was rotated, which is what was causing the sciatic nerve to be aggravated. As my hip had been tilted for quite a while, the rest of my body had tried to compensate. This resulted in a spine that curved left and right as it went up, which is why I got pain down my spine when I did shoulder presses.

The osteopath straightened my spine, and worked on my hip to get that back into place. He also deemed the root cause of my hip being out of place down to tight piriformis and hamstring muscles, so he performed deep muscle massage on those to loosen them and work out the knots.

Today, I'm in much better shape, hip sorted, back sorted. I now see an osteopath or chiropractor (depending on who's nearest) on a monthly basis for a tune up, just to make sure everything is in working order.

I did try and get treatment on the NHS, but it was just referral to consultant, referral to MRI, back to consultant, with 6 week waiting periods in between each appointment, I lost patience and just decided to pay for it myself. At 35-40 pounds a visit, it wasn't cheap given that some practictioners want to see 3 times a week for the first month until things start getting better, but looking back, I'd rather not have the back problems than have the money back.

It's important to note that an osteopath/chiropractor are not the same as a physiotherapist. The latter works on the muscles, the former look at muscular and skeletal imbalances.

Hope that helps.

[James]

SUPER reply, thank you very much! I have medical health insurance at work so I'm sure I can wangle costs on that (since I do sit all day), if not I am more than willing to pay for the treatment, I just want to be fit and well again - optimal performance and health!

Where abouts did you go for treatment, or can you recommend any specifics in these areas that are 'good eggs', I seem to be quite close to where you are stationed.

Thanks greatly, once again!

[daffy]

I've moved around for my job, so I've seen a few practitioners.

I'm currently based in Hayes, and seeing an ostepath there, seems good. She's called G.E. Best John and is on Blyth Road.
I can recommend Chiropractical on Fulham Palace Road if you are near Hammersmith.
There's a great one in Harrogate, can't remember the name of it but it was about the only one there, so it would not be hard to find.

Finding a good osteo/chiro is a bit hit and miss, you need to pay for a few sessions to see if you're happy with the treatment, but it's a catch 22, going to an osteo/chiro isn't a regular occurrence for most people, so you don't have a terms of reference. Having been to a few of them though, the things I look for are

1/ If they are a practice where they have a few practitioners, they will try to fob you off on to the juniors. Do your homework and find out who are the seniors partners in the practice and insist on seeing them.
2/ You'll most likely feel relief after just one or two treatments. If you don't, time to change. A bit more info here which might help, the chiropractor I saw in Hammersmith wanted to do intensive treatment initially, her justification was that it was important to keep the bones and muscles in the right position for the majority of the time, as that is what they will get used to, i.e., if your bones in the right place for two days a week, but then you get some reversion from the treatment and they spend the next five days in the wrong position, it's going to be an uphill struggle to get them right. As you go for the treatments, you'll be more sensitive about when your back feels right, and when it doesn't. Most of us don't realise if our back isn't right because if it degrades, it does it over a long period of time and we simply adjust and don't notice it. So, you'll most likely notice if/when you revert, because you'll notice a change in how your back feels. So if you find your back is spending more time in the wrong position than the right position, speak to your practitioner about your concerns.

My experience has been that chiropractors will try to keep bones in the right place through intensive treatment, and they'll try the brute force approach, whereas osteopaths will take the view that they need to loosen the muscles first, in order to prevent them pulling the bones out of place. As a result, a chiropractor will most likely see you more frequently than an osteopath.

If you need more info, just let me know.

[James]

Truly brilliant, thanks a load. I feel relieved that I finally have more of a grasp of the way to go about looking into recovery. I will hit you up again at a later point, no doubt! Thanks again.

[Odevans]

I had this, fortunately enough it was just in the 'starting stage'. My osteopath sorted it quickly. As you are probably aware, my squatting is fine now, I'm sure your's will be back up in no time.

Hope that it gets sorted quickly, mate.

[daffy]

I been reading last couple of days about how walking in shoes can lead to tight achilles, which can lead to tight hams, which can lead to back problems. I've also been reading about walking barefoot can alleviate problems associated with walking in traditional shoes (i.e. inflexible, with heels, cushioned - anything that distorts normal walking patterns). I don't think I could get away with wearing a pair of vibram five fingers at work, but it seems that since barefoot running has increased in popularity, there's a few more shoes out there that fit the barefoot bill.

There's Nike Free, and I heard about these today too, Terra Plana Vivo. I reckon I could get away with wearing these in the office, and be able to wear them all the time.

I'm further intrigued given some sites I've checked out that discuss bare foot running, and that running with bare foot shoes changes the strike pattern of the foot compared to traditional running shoes.

I'm thinking of investing in a pair of these - just need to find a shop in London or Leicester that does them so I can try them on.

[Ian80]

If you do have an anterior pelvic tilt the most likely cause is poor posture. You need to work on you posture and make sure you lift with a neutral spine even if this means dropping the weight.

i would invest in a foam roller and foam roll your legs and lower back daily also you need to stretch your hip flexors as these will be tight and cause your pelvis to be tilted forward. generally your hamstrings will feel tight but wont be they will be over active along with your pirifomis so both of these will need specific attention with the foam roller. other than that you should be working on stabilising your core as often as possible

[Fred]

daffy - What you have described above is EXACTLY what I have been suffering with for the past year, and I also presumed it would just sort itself out but have been toying with the idea of seeing an osteopath.. Think I may have to bite the bullet!

[daffy]

Hi Fred, if you've got the symptons I described above, I would definitely go see an osteopath. Acceptance of osteopaths and chiropractors has increased greatly from the time I had my problem, so if you wanted to see a GP first for confirmation of your self diagnosis, I suspect he'll offer to refer you to the hospital to see a specialist (which in my experience was a waste of time), but he would be open to answer questions you had about paying for treatment yourself, and perhaps being able to recommend a local practitioner.